Setting Business Goals 101 – Revisited

“If you build it, they will come.” That line may have worked for Kevin Costner’s character in Field of Dreams, but such advice can prove disastrous for creating goals for your business plan. Matter of fact, most people set the wrong goals right from the start. It is no wonder that 92% of people who set goals fail. Yet, you can consult with Doctor Google and find a gazillion articles on how to help you set goals. So, what gives? Why is all this great advice not working?

Here’s the secret sauce in setting goals. Instead of brainstorming, people need to take a brain science approach. The answer is found in a simple word called alignment.

Alignment is all about the power of thought based on who you are, what you know and how it cuts across all facets of the planning process. Power is organized and directed knowledge. You use brain science to initiate and brain science to execute. It starts with clearly defined intention. This intention is aligned with who you are and what your business is all about. It is carried out and sustained through the adaptation of success habits. Success habits are managed by conscious thought.

Here’s a few clues. Decisions are made based on core values. Many business people are utterly unaware of what core values they inherently possess. In some cases, they possess conflicting core values that create competition across the goals they set. This muddles the business plan playing field right from the start. The next important thing to realize is we human beings have lazy brains. Forty percent of our actions are in the form of habit that is driven by our subconscious. This means that as soon as we take our conscious thinking off the thought gas pedal, we are on subconscious auto pilot. Habits that we have formed, good or bad, take over and drive our business plan activities whether we know it or not.

Here’s the solution. Know what is important to you as a business owner and manager. Understand what your top core values are for you and your business and in what order of importance. Then, clearly understand what you intend to do and clearly understand why you want to do it. This gives you purpose. It’s no secret that all successful people clearly know why they are doing their business. People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.

You can only get real focus in your business if you align your beliefs, your mission, your goals and strategy with a resolved mindset and use mind mastery to make it happen. In the words of Napoleon Hill; conceive, believe, achieve. To create impact, you must chunk your goals down to doable bite sized activities to realize how you are going to actually get it done while giving you the confidence to get it done. The last effort is to focus on keystone success habits to incorporate the right practices and activities that align with your intentions that will make you successful. At the end of it all, what gets measured gets done. You need to live, breathe and impact the key performance measures that address the critical success factors of your business and your industry.

Bottom line, align all the forces available to you and your business, and, in the process… always “catch yourself thinking”. Use the power of thought to get you where you want to go.

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Like most business owners I suffer from the "bright shiny object syndrome" and can be pulled in many directions with many projects. The work Gary and I did in laying out a strategic plan for the business has been invaluable in defining a systematic way to go about defining my businesses vision, mission and goals. The benefit has been the ability to much more quickly assess new opportunities and see if it would be a good fit or not. I highly recommend Gary to any business owner looking to get another level of clarity in their business!
"Jon"

Jon

Like most business owners I suffer from the "bright shiny object syndrome" and can be pulled in many directions with many projects. The work Gary and I did in laying out a strategic plan for the business has been invaluable in defining a systematic way to go about defining my businesses vision,

I contacted Gary feeling very desperate and overwhelmed with my business plan. First impression left me feeling confident and feeling like I could go ahead with my plan. Gary is extremely thorough and efficient. Developing my business plan with flair and fact.
Thank you Gary, I couldn't have done it without you.

Ingrid Morris, Owner Cornelia's European Deli

I contacted Gary feeling very desperate and overwhelmed with my business plan. First impression left me feeling confident and feeling like I could go ahead with my plan.

Gary's approach to building my business plan was a great experience. Gary opened my mind to looking at my business in a different light, for which in turn my plan has already exceeded my vision in a lot of areas. I would highly recommend Gary to anyone starting a business to contact Gary for a consultation.

Nick Caruso, Property Manager TCP Management

Nick Caruso

Gary's approach to building my business plan was a great experience. Gary opened my mind to looking at my business in a different light, for which in turn my plan has already exceeded my vision in a lot of areas.

For the past two months Gary Cerantola has been providing services to AWARE Simcoe toward the creation of a corporate strategic plan for our citizens' group. This process began by bringing together our board members and other partner groups to review our group's vision and mission and assess our corporate and personal values. Gary facilitated identifying, prioritizing and methods of achieving AWARE Simcoe's Goals and Objectives and he will be facilitating the assembly of our final Corporate Strategic Plan.
Gary's role has been to guide our members through this process in two facilitated workshops to date as well as compile and assemble information via email connection. He has demonstrated excellent group facilitation skills and an expert knowledge of the process of creating a corporate strategic plan. He has been a pleasure to work with and I don't hesitate to recommend his services.

Sandy Agnew, Policy Committee Chair, AWARE Simcoe

For the past two months Gary Cerantola has been providing services to AWARE Simcoe toward the creation of a corporate strategic plan for our citizens' group.

As a successful business person of over 40 years in the sales and marketing of highly technical and innovative medical and research systems across Canada, I have had opportunities to view many presentations from facilitator analysts and specialists, each with their own view and perspective. As you can appreciate in our rapidly changing times, the need to stay atop and be successful is very critical in a very competitive market.
Recently, I was included to be part of an important Strategic Planning Process for AWARE Simcoe as a valued partner through our organization, the Nottawasaga Steelheaders, an angling and conservation group, of which I have presided over during the past 15 years. This process was led by Gary Cerantola of Critel Professional Services. During of each of our past two sessions, the key to his understanding and appreciation of AWARE Simcoe’s passionate vision was evident through the focus and engagement of the audience including myself. Upon conclusion there was a very profound and positive sense of accomplishment and heightened enthusiasm for our group going forward. Over my many years of experience with innovative processes and seemingly never ending approaches to analyses, Gary definitely provides a unique, refreshing and stimulating approach. He is very sensitive and aware of his audience’s needs. This has been accomplished by a strong and varied breadth of experience in his field together with a strong commitment to make a comfortable fit. His professionalism is successfully implemented with a personable style. He is also able to adapt to unusual situations, something which does occur in the real world and with varied audiences and individuals.
I highly endorse and recommend Gary.

Gary Christie, President, Nottawasaga Steelheaders

As a successful business person of over 40 years in the sales and marketing of highly technical and innovative medical and research systems across Canada,